Hell of Asgard
by Ichigo to Hana
Summary: The Avengers find an unexpected visitor in their tower. Who is she and what in Helheim is Loki planning this time?
1. Daughter of Loki

**CHAPTER 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own. Also, this is more of an experiment, so the characters might not always be on point.

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CHAPTER 1 Daughter of Loki

At first no one noticed her lounging there at the edge of the bar of former Stark-Tower. The Avengers spilled into the room one by one, Bruce passing through the living room without looking left or right. Hulking out was more tiring than it looked like, eating up the energy he conjured over the day. Thor hadn't arrived yet, choosing to look after the well being of Jane first.

Of course JARVIS had noticed her. He had noticed her the second her foot hit the floor. _No one gets by JARVIS without being noticed._ , she thought with a grim smile. Only problem being that the young woman had effectively evaded all his attempts to keep her outside until he had given up. Or more like decided to let his inventor deal with her.

Tony entered from the patio without his armour. "Welcome back Sir," JARVIS greeted his master. "You have a guest." Tony lightly scoffed: "I know. They are called the Avengers and are living here. Are you alright JARVIS?" She almost laughed out loud. _He should know his own inventions better than that…_

JARVIS did not like being mistrusted with such simple tasks, she felt that much. The machine was wired to know every occupant's signature, which concluded that naturally he knew who the Avengers were – and who wasn't, but was still calmly sitting at the bar. So it took Natasha stepping into the living area behind Steve and Tony to notice the young woman. Albeit being more than tired from the fighting, the master assassin instantly turned her attention on the occupant at the bar.

The intruder could feel a sharp gaze graze the back of her head. It was an effort to not brush over her ink black curls to soothe the burning sensation. Black Widow inclined her head slightly towards her, trusting Hawkeye to have her back. The soft swish of the bowstring drawing back caused the girl to turn her head, greenish eyes instantly zooming in on the assassin duo. She smiled lazily upon finding both, arrow and guns, pointed at her.

"Sir, I'm very sure that you have a guest. An unknown intruder to be precise," JARVIS insisted. "Who are you?", Natasha questioned. Out of the corner of her eye, the girl saw Steve and Tony turn around to see what the ruckus was about. Both men stared wide-eyed at the intruder and if you listened closely you could hear Steve muttering, "I can't remember you allowing them to be this young", to Tony. The young woman's lips stretched even wider, turning her smile too wide to be considered anything but a baring of teeth. Deliberately slow, not letting herself be bothered by any of the weaponry, she swung around in her chair. She noticed Tony pulling at his watch until his hand was covered in an iron glove, pointing that thing, already glowing, at her as well. _Well, this should be fun._ , she thought to herself _._ "I am Hel. Of Asgard. I am burdened with-," she broke off, lowering her chin slightly allowing the glow in her eyes to take over, "Well, I suppose you are familiar with the rest."

They stared at her for a second. Clint tightened the hold on his bow, knuckles turning white, his jaw firmly set; Natasha warily narrowed her eyes at the girl. Tony however was the first to find his voice again. He gave a short, barking laugh: "You can't be shape-shifting reindeer games. Loki has been gone for months now. No one knows where he is, not even his own brother!"

"Loki is missing," echoed Steve with a thoughtful look in his eyes. The girl rolled her eyes. "Was," she corrected them. "Loki was missing. But now he's back." She smiled cheerfully. "And to set things right: I am not Loki with a new, breathtaking and absolutely flawless illusion. I am his daughter." Gasps could be heard in the room, followed by heavy silence. "What the hell?", Tony finally muttered. "Language," the other three automatically chided. "Actually, it's Hel. With one L and a long E," the girl said cheekily. Natasha and Clint kept staring at her, albeit not with their weapons raised anymore. _A potential child of Loki cannot be trusted, huh?_ , Hel revelled at the thought. _At least they're not giving me any reason to attack them and end this game prematurely._

After another tense moment of silence, Clint went behind the bar and fixed himself a drink. "How can you drink in such a situation?", Steve wondered. Clint gave him a blank look: "The better question is: How couldn't I?" Natasha slowly walked over to Clint, accepting the drink shoved her way, then returned to her former place to face Hel. She didn't take a sip, choosing to look the young woman before her up and down. "If she really is the daughter of Loki, we need to inform Thor about this."

"And here I actually thought he was having performance issues… I can't help but be amazed that reindeer games could find a female willing to keep something – like this."

"You just gestured to all of me." The girl said with a raised eyebrow. "Which I suppose is due to the magnificence of what you see and your unwillingness to accept that my father is capable of 'all this'" With a laugh Hel copied the motion of Tony on herself. The man of iron narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips. "I just wonder how he magiced his way into the bed of a woman," he clarified. "I honestly don't doubt anyone would voluntarily bed the trickster. He has this wicked charm and some really go for that, but keep the trick? Or is it a treat? Hard to tell." _Trick or Treat? Is he trying to insult me?_ , Hel's right eye twitched slightly. _No, don't let that bother you. Dad told you he was kind of difficult to handle._

Hel let her eyes drift shut for a moment, crossing her legs over one another. _Two can play that game, man of iron_., a wicked smile ghosted over her lips too quickly for anyone to notice. "Not going too well with Pepper, huh?", she taunted. "Keep Pepper out of this," he hissed through clenched teeth. _Oh? Did I hit a nerve?_ Hel ignored him: "Or maybe some hidden charms for Daddy?" Even the tilt of her head was patronizing. A talent she had perfected over time. The other Avengers stilled all their movements, looking between the two of them as if it was a tennis match. "I don't know what you mean." Tony forced an arrogant half-smile. "It doesn't mean anything except that I can see what some women might see in Loki. Very destructive love though."

"You'd know," she purred, eyes half-lidded. Oh, how Hel loved these games. Threatening Midgardians until they couldn't form a single coherent sentence was fun and all, but teasing them to the brink of an anger attack was even more fun. Maybe that's why she had helped Banner a bit this afternoon to find the motivation to transform?

The man now opposite her gave another smile, trying to keep his cool against her taunting, his friends watching on in rapt fascination. "I don't know what you mean." Hel's grin broadened to a wicked smile: "Oh, you know exactly what I mean, man of iron. You're probably just too proud to admit it." Clint looked up from whatever he was doing behind the bar. "What is she talking about?"

"I'd like to know as well." Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. The glass in her hand tilted dangerously, but nothing spilled out. "Isn't it that everything you love slowly rots away?", Hel tasted every word sweet on her tongue. "Isn't that why you always play around? Why Pepper was your first love?" Tony's muscles visibly tensed, his smile slowly falling off his lips. "Is there anything you want to allude to or are you just trying to annoy me, girl?", he wanted to know. "Because if not, I'd appreciate it if you left us alone." Hel's laughter was as soft as chiming bells. "Oh, but I am trying to make a point, you see, Stark?", she fixed him with an intense stare. "I am trying to tell you that apparently your love is just as destructive as my father." She sighed, "Well, at least he didn't stand by idly while his parents were killed."

That was the last straw. With a snarl Tony flung himself towards the young woman in the chair, raising his glove already glowing with energy. Fortunately, probably for him, Natasha and Steve caught his arms before he reached Hel, albeit at the cost of Natasha's glass, which shattered on the floor. The two kept Tony from attacking the smug looking young thing.

"My father always told me that you lot are fun to be around," Hel smiled. It was not as crooked as Loki's, but the resemblance was hidden there somewhere. One of her favourite smiles: The cat at the mouse. Tony was playing right into her cards. Now with him distracted by either her looks or taunting she could go on in her plan. "May I propose a bet?", Hel asked innocently. Tony, taken aback by the sudden change in demeanour, paused just long enough to see his chance. If he did this right he might get back at this young woman mocking him. In his impulsiveness and not seeing clearly he merely stepped closer to her, despite his friends restraining him. "What kind of bet."

Hel noticed Natasha tensing, readying to strike if the need should arise. "A bet to regain your honour," Hel proposed. "If you win, I'll be your personal maid for however long you want me around. I'll be obedient and do whatever you ask without question," she paused, then repeated suggestively, "Whatever you ask."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Clint said before taking a bite from the sandwich he had somehow procured from somewhere. "How can you eat in such a situation?", Steve asked him. Natasha just rolled her eyes: "How couldn't he?" They were unable to hear the negotiations going on between Tony and Hel under a spell of silence. Only when Tony freed one of his hands to seal the deal with her did they realise what had happened. "Then it's settled." Hel nodded her head. As soon as Tony released her hand, the young woman swung back around in her chair towards the bar and propped her black leather boots on the countertop. "Hey, down with those," Tony pointed. She leaned back in her chair, almost going into a bridge to give him an amused smirk. "Well, you do it as well, so why should there be different rules for me?"

"Because you're not me," Tony firmly stated. "Now, now." Steve rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let us calm down and remove that glove for the moment. You had your entire floor fixed just a few months ago. And the windows." Reluctantly Tony complied, muttering under his breath about the worth of whatever he did before his home needed maintenance. _This is so much fun.,_ Hel grinned at their turned backs, noticing Clint noticing her smile and quickly turning it innocent.

Behind her back Natasha sighed, stepping away from the scene. Although the assassin wasn't entirely at peace with the situation – there was a potential child of Loki sitting in their head quarter, so how could she? – she told herself to at least stop standing around. So she took a place near the window, leaning against one of the sofas with her arms crossed over her chest. The young woman still had Clint with hidden daggers right in front of her. Which didn't seem to bother her all that much, but hey, Natasha knew she was able to fire her guns in a heartbeat should the need arise. Steve shot her a look that seemed to say her, he knew as much and was on the one hand appreciating the option, but on the other hand not quite willing to risk the life of a possibly innocent girl.

"What are we doing now?", Clint wanted to know. "Waiting for Thor to arrive. He'll be able to tell you who I am for sure," Hel explained. "Say, would you be so kind as to make me one of those cocktails?"

"First you insult me, then you are the cause of a broken glass and now you want to rob my bar?", Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "I am not sure you're entitled to that, girl."

"Name's Hel and besides, that glass was only a part of chain reactions that were not entirely apart from my actions, but not directly caused by them either." The girl tossed her dark hair back, waving a hand over the glass, which disappeared. In its place stood a new one on the bar. The Avengers stared at her. "Is it going to withstand touch?", Tony asked. Hel bobbed her head yes: "My father had me trained by the best teachers there are." Tony raked a hand through his hair. "That's what I feared." He went and fixed himself a whiskey. Hel noticed Steve stepping up to the window to keep an eye on the horizon. "Your drink," Clint shoved a glass her way, for which Hel thanked him properly.

Just when she was about to take a sip, there was a loud thud on the terrace and shortly thereafter, Thor strode into the living area. His friends held their breath, waiting for him to make the verdict. Tony downed his drink in one gulp, placing the glass back on the counter.

However, the god of thunder didn't seem to notice the girl any more than the rest had at first. Absentminded he placed Mjølnir on the coffee table, ready to pass his friends and rest in his room. "Thor," Hel purred over the rim of her drink. "Not this time Loki. We just had a fight and you're surrounded," he stared grimly ahead. At the words Tony shot the young woman a triumphant look, his lips curving into a cocky smirk. Hel merely rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Try again"

Sure enough, Thor stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned around to look at the inky curls falling around a face that was similar to his brother's, along with the devilishly shining eyes. Only beneath all that… "Who are you?" The god of thunder stepped up to her close enough to stare the young woman down, which would intimidate anyone. Except this one. Hel looked up at him with dark promises swirling beneath the too wide smile. "I am the one everyone knows yet no one likes. I am the girl that lurks in the shadows, that draws closer at night and farther by daybreak. I live right next door to danger – and especially the man of iron has met me in person before." Her stare turned directly on Tony, sincere for the first time.

None of the Avengers liked that hungry gaze. It didn't fit the seemingly young thing at all. "Wait. Isn't Hel the name of the goddess of death in Norse Mythology?", Clint cut in. Thor furrowed his brows: "I don't know. I only know that Hel is a nice old grandma back in Asgard."

"Oh, you mean this," Hel shimmered for a second before a visibly aged version of her sat in the chair, mischief sparkling in her eyes, "This nice, old grandma?"

"Okay, but when did my brother find the time for," Thor gestured vaguely. "How old are you anyway?" She tilted her head in mock-curiosity: "How long have you ignored my father?" Her uncle visibly flinched. "So, Thor, is she his daughter or not?", Steve wanted to know. Thor nodded slowly. "I see him in her, no doubt," he mumbled, scratching his chin in thought. "Though I still don't know when and how that happened?" Hel threw her head back laughing. "You didn't think he would lend himself a hand forever now, did you uncle?" Thor's jaw almost hit the floor at her blunt words. Bright eyes focused on Tony, who hadn't moved since the revelation that this girl was indeed the goddess of death. "I think you owe me."

"What is your real appearance?", Natasha spoke up. Her eyes were narrowed still, hands now close to her sides in case she needed her weapons. The girl threw her a brilliant smile. "Excellent question," she praised the assassin. "Unfortunately, I am unsure, whether or not you can take it." Black Widow straightened her back, levelling the girl with a look that promised to be the calm before the storm. "I believe I've seen worse in my life than a girl with horns or whatever you're hiding." The ice in Hel's eyes melted for a second. "I know," she replied softly. Natasha's eyes widened slightly at the admission. A look of bitterness crossed her face. Then Black Widow shut down, every emotion leaving her face. Clint cautiously stepped out from behind the bar. Without a comment he went to stand beside his friend. "I'm sorry for your loss," Hel went on as if nothing happened. Steve clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand still and not strangle the daughter of Loki for her overall behaviour. It would most likely not end well anyway.

Hel and Natasha stared at each other for another second, then a shimmer rippled over Hel's frame. Her fair skin took on an icy blue hue, her green eyes clashed with sunset red. The only thing now distinguishing her from the Jotuns Thor knew, were the missing tribal marks along her forehead, cheekbones and chin – and wherever else the frost giants had them. Another ripple and she was just another green eyed, black-haired kid.

"What are you doing in Midgard?", Thor fully turned to his niece. "Do you know where my brother is?"

"Loki?"

"No, the other green and golden maniac with an affinity for destroying my tower, who almost conquered New York," Tony sarcastically commented. "Uncle Thor could be missing one of his brothers in arms, how should I know he meant his adoptive brother?", Hel retorted sharply. Before Tony or anyone else could respond, her eyes turned glassy. "What's happening?", Steve questioned. "Is she hurt?" Thor scrunched up his nose, then shook his head. This was nothing he was accustomed to. Loki had never had such attacks. He had always been right behind him, quick on his feet, a sassy comeback at the tip of his tongue. The hint of a smile ghosted over Hel's features. "I am eighty-eight percent sure I won't like what comes next," Tony groaned. "You're right." Clint ground out between clenched teeth. "It looks as if she's talking with someone in her mind." Natasha pulled out her weapons: "And it shouldn't be too hard to guess, who that is." No one questioned how Clint knew.

Hawkeye made his way back behind the bar, where he left his bow and arrows. Safety first. Hel might not have attacked them until now, however if her father planned to make an appearance it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially with Banner most likely knocked out in his bed for the next couple hours. Thor called his hammer, which landed in his hand with a soft thud. Hel jolted in her seat. Suddenly her eyes were clear once more. Startled the young woman stared at the drawn weapons surrounding her. After a second, a smirk pulled at her lips. "And here I thought we were getting along. I even tried to stick to your Midgardian rules of hospitality," she pouted. "If my father hears about this."

"Hears about what my dear?", a new voice asked.

And just like that, Loki had arrived.


	2. Dreaming

**CHAPTER 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own.

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CHAPTER 2 Dreaming

"Dad!" Hel hopped out of the chair, throwing her arms around the tall man, who looked so much like her, if you saw them side by side. For a second Loki smiled fondly at her, his face turning soft as he patted his daughter's hair. Then he looked up and all that softness disappeared quicker than Hawkeye could fire his arrows, Black Widow disarmed men or Iron Man managed to piss off everyone. "What are they doing now?", he demanded to know. "Brother, why didn't you tell me you have a daughter?", Thor stepped closer. Instinctively Loki tightened his grip on Hel. He drew his lips back into a snarl. "So you can put her against me just like you did with everyone else?", he paused to look down at the top of her head. Thor shook his head, reaching for his brother with his free hand. "I would never do that. She is yours. You may have your reasons not to trust me, however misguided they might be." He looked at the girl, ignoring Loki's icy stare. "Still, I would have liked to know. She is my niece after all." A soft smile graced his lips. It was nothing short of heart breaking.

Hel turned slightly around in her father's hold to look up at her uncle. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and an innocence Loki long since had lost. "You wouldn't like me, if you knew me," she said brightly. "I am too much like my father, whom you never treated as he deserved." Her uncle lowered his head ever so slightly in shame. It was a thorn in his side Thor could never hope to get rid of. _Hadn't he been so self-centred in his youth everything might have turned out differently._ , Loki thought bitterly. He remembered his hidden heritage and Thor's hatred. _Well, no, maybe not everything._

Thor raised his head again and looked Hel directly in the eye as he declared: "I could never dislike you, little one. Never."

Loki paused in his surveillance of his surroundings at that. The look in his brother's eyes was too understanding for his liking. A dreadful thought came to the front of his mind. "Have you shown them your other form?", he asked his daughter. Hel nodded meekly, craning her neck to glance up at her father: "She needed to see it. He did too." Loki heaved a sigh, then a glare at Black Widow and Iron Man standing at the ready should he decide to do anything funny. "I think you owe me a drink, man of iron," Loki finally said. "I think you owe me a renovation," Tony shot back. To the surprise of everyone assembled, a quick smile – a genuine smile – slipped over Loki's lips. "Very well then." He released his daughter from his grip. "Why did you call me here? I was quite content with keeping to the shadows for now."

"I thought you might want to see our new home."

The Avengers frowned. Loki pursed his lips to suppress the grin. _So that is what my little hell spawn was up to. Why she wanted to learn so fast and go to Midgard for "studies"._ , he had never been prouder of his daughter's brilliant mind. With a look around, he noticed Black Widow slowly processing, what exactly Hel's words implied. Natasha looked at Tony with a terrible feeling in her gut. "Don't tell me…" Tony lowered his chin defiantly: "What does Loki want above all?" Steve thought for a moment, before realization visibly dawned on him. "He wants a parade and flowers." He turned to look directly at his friends. "He wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered on it."

"And there is only one such that I know of," Hel proudly added. Her smile was broad this time, showing her trickster heritage bright and clear. Loki turned his green eyes upon the Avengers, giving them his trademark smirk. "I think, I finally found a place to rule."

To everyone's surprise, Steve was the first to get into fighting stance. Without his suit or shield or mask, but determination shining in his eyes. "And I finally found a place to feel at ease, to laugh with friends, to let my guard down. I am not planning on giving that up." He levelled his glare at Loki. "Not to the likes of you." Hel returned the glare with a lopsided grin: "Still no fan of kneeling, I suppose." Loki discreetly choked down a laugh. His daughter was one little devil. Instead of voicing his thoughts, he nodded his agreement, watching calmly as Tony called his suit, Natasha raised her guns and Clint readied his bow. _There's someone missing. Someone, who could very well foil our plans._ , he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Tell me, where's the big green one?", Loki finally asked. "Upstairs. Sleeping. Out for the next few hours," Hel said matter-of-factly. "We have them in our hands."

Iron Man barked a laugh: "It's five against two. That's hardly a fight." Loki smirked confidently. With a flick of his hands, daggers appeared between his fingers, long, thin, sharp silver blades. "You're right," he said. "You have no chance against us." Thor tried to calm them down, raising his hands. "We don't have to fight. Let's talk about it."

"Since when are you the one to vote on talking?", Hawkeye piped in. "Besides, I have a score to settle with him. Don't spoil that for me." Natasha aimed her weapons at parent and child each. "I'm with Clint on that one." Her eyes darted to Thor, then back on Loki. "You're either with us or against us I fear." Hel threw her head back and laughed. "We haven't done anything yet and divide and conquer is a complete success. Silvertongue's best work yet." Her green eyes danced with mirth, as she looked back at the Avengers. "Did you honestly think, we would allow you to attack us?" All at one the superheroes charged. Iron Man launched a series of shots at them, Hawkeye fired arrow after arrow, Black Widow's guns were blazing. Between it all Captain America wound his way forward to Loki and Hel with Thor guarding his back.

Within seconds the fight was over. Loki waved a hand and all the weapons disappeared, bullets and arrows led astray right into floor or windows. A wave of Hel's slender hand and each Avenger was caught midstride into a bubble of something. The last one standing being Black Widow, who somehow had managed to escape the sphere flung her way. Without pause she got a dagger from her belt and made to pop the first shell. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Loki said calmly. Her head whipped around to see Hel lounging on the countertop of the bar picking at her fingernails with another dagger, while her father stood next to her as proud and regal as any human king. "What have you done to them?", Natasha snarled, poised to attack once more. "Send them to sleep," Hel responded, looking at her outstretched hand. "Just like the Hulk upstairs."

"Don't worry, they won't be harmed in any way," Loki assured her. "Quite the opposite to be exact. As long as they are in the dream-sphere Hel created, they are going to live their biggest dream." Upon seeing Natasha's disbelieving look he added: "See for yourself." Despite Loki making the grand gesture of showing her, Hel was the one swinging her legs and jumping back off the counter.

With a proud smile she grabbed Black Widow by the hand and brought her up to the closest sphere, which happened to be Thor's. "Now, I really don't want to hurt my uncle so shortly after meeting him," the girl explained. "But he needed to be put out. You summed that up very nicely: He's either with us or against us. So here we have his biggest wish come true." She waved a hand over the surface. At first you could see nothing, but then slowly a picture crystallized. It was of Thor and Loki; only these versions were not fighting but smiling at each other, joking around with their friends in what had to be Asgard. "They look so happy," Natasha mumbled more to herself. Hel responded anyway. "Yes, that's a version in which they never fell apart and Thor loved his little brother to bits instead of taking him for granted. A beautiful dream, isn't it?"

Along the line the two went, Hel showing Natasha Steve hugging a dark-haired male with a star-shaped tattoo on his arm close to him, laughing and joking with him as if they were best friends forever; Tony happily living with Pepper, no more frustration and anger, but having her close and her being proud of her partner. "Banner dreams of being free of the other one, a respected scientist," Hel explained while they reached the last sphere. Clint. Frozen in place, his face tense, his eyes betraying deep fear in the face of his former captor. Before Hel could reach for the sphere, Natasha grabbed her hand. "I don't want to see it."

"I believe you want to. Trust me?" Hel's voice was soft, comforting. Loki knew she used this tone to whisper into the ears of dying things to get them away easier. Natasha seemed to remember as well, her eyes slightly widening. "It was you the whole time, wasn't it? You watched over me?", she asked the girl. Green eyes fixed on her, not straying or faltering at the knowledge of an assassin lurking in the corners of her opposite's mind, ready to be set free any minute. "You are different." Hel shrugged. "You all are. That's why I think you'd like to see his dream. His happy reality."

This time Natasha didn't stop her. Hel pressed her hand against the sphere gently, then dragged it slowly, almost in a caress, over the surface. The image came slower than with the others. "He doesn't allow himself to dream this dream very often," the girl elaborated. "It sits deeper down, in his subconscious." Natasha visibly braced herself for what she might see, balling her hands into fists at her sides. She seemed sure Clint dreamed of a peaceful life with his wife and children on the farm. Sure enough that was what first appeared. Clint was sitting on the front porch, his children running around on the lawn. His wife exited the house with a huge smile on her face. They seemed so happy. Gone was the war-worn soldier. It was too much for Natasha to bear, to see her best friend wishing her away from his life. Black Widow turned around to leave. "Stay." Hel grabbed her wrist. "You'll want to see the rest of it." Natasha was pretty sure that wasn't the case, however after she cast one last look at the dream she paused.

There she was. In the dream. Chasing around the kids as she arrived, laughing and smiling at them happily. And when she went to greet Clint and his wife she saw that her eyes, the eyes of Dream-Natasha were free of grief and hurt and her emotions were free for anyone to read. As she hugged her best friend, she was just that, a woman hugging her best friend. Not from one assassin to the other, not to whisk him away from his family. It was just a friendly visit, which was met with open arms and warm smiles.

Loki watched in fascination how his daughter turned the deadly assassin into a crying woman with her magic. The startled look on Natasha's face suggested, she didn't even notice she started crying until the wet drops hit her skin. _I wonder when the last time was she cried._ , Loki allowed his thoughts to wander. _Hel can control their emotions so easily, so seamlessly no one even notices. Humans are so weak._

Natasha paused, shaking her head lightly as if trying to remember something important. "Why didn't you freeze me as well?", she finally turned towards Hel. "You ducked under your sphere," she merely said. "And creating those takes a lot of energy, so I can't exactly replicate it any time I want."

"Your aim was not very good," Natasha remembered. "You wanted me to get away from this all. Why?" Her eyes darkened. "Why would you want me free as the only Avenger? You could have overthrown us a lot easier by freezing all of us, not keeping one behind." Loki raised his chin. _She's clever. Too clever for her own good. Maybe I shouldn't have allowed Hel to let her affection for this fine specimen of a female warrior, a mortal walkyrie, take over… Hm, what's done is done. But the woman shouldn't know that._

Hel walked back towards her father, who smirked sadistically. "Actually, it was my fault," Loki chimed. "I may have shaken her aim at the last shot." Natasha stood in the middle of her frozen friends, staring down two gods singlehandedly. Well, she had faced worse, Loki knew. Budapest was, from what he remembered seeing in Hawkeyes head, pretty close to this. "What is hindering me from cutting them all free?", Black Widow lowered her chin, glaring at Loki and Hel dangerously. Annoyingly neither of them let that bother them. The girl hopped back up on the counter, crossing her legs over one another. "Nothing. We won't stop you." She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. "Please remember though, that they are dreaming at the moment. They are living their perfect life." A malicious smile crept onto Hel's lips. "Are you willing to sacrifice your friends' happiness for the greater good? Drag them back into the nightmare of reality?"

Natasha paused. _This is becoming very interesting very quickly._ , Loki thought. _Is she willing to do this? Destroy her friends' happiness to maybe defeat not only us, but whatever evil may come after us?_

"I swear on my life, that I'll take good care of them all. They will life out their dream lives, always happy and at peace until their day to go into the next life comes." Natasha still didn't move a single muscle. "It's up to you," Hel emphasized once more. Her eyes sparkled devilishly. "Can you sacrifice your friends' happiness?" Loki saw the moment Black Widow broke. The moment she realised her friends would be traumatised at best if she freed them from their dreams, unable to fight against him and his daughter. _She is unwilling to burden them any further…_

"No," Natasha choked out under her breath. _She only knows she longs to see the carefree smile on Clint more often. She wants her friends to be happy._


	3. Nightmare

CHAPTER 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own.

Sorry, this is kind of short…

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 **Chapter 3 Nightmare**

Black Widow lowered her head. This was the first time in her life she didn't know what to do next. Her friends, gone. Her home, occupied by aliens. Her weapons, useless against their magic. Her brain remained her only weapon, her wits the last possible way to get out of this situation. Black Widow had been alone before. Just not like this. _She gave me her word. Hel gave me her word not to harm them until their time has come._ Natasha shook her head. _Daughter of Loki_ , a tiny voice in her head repeated. _How do you know you can trust her? Why should you trust her at all?_

Natasha felt her determination returning. She needed to stop these maniacs any way possible. There had been missions before she had done on her own with far less knowledge of who the enemy was. "What are your plans now?", she asked the pair. Loki looked up at her with half a smile on his lips. "I am going to fetch me the drink he owes me." He nodded at Tony with his chin. "A pity Clint can't tell me how he did mine," Hel sighed. "That drink was marvellous."

"How old are you?", Natasha fired the next question. Hel blinked at her in confusion for a second. A slow smile, lopsided, a more sane variation of her father's, appeared on her lips. "As far as I remember you have this saying here on Midgard: Don't ask a Lady for her age or something? But since it's from female to female, I'll make an exception." Hel looked as if she was being very generous. "Technically, I am about one hundred years older than you. So speaking in Midgardian years, it adds up to one-hundred-and-eighty-five years, give or take a few. However in Asgard I would hardly be considered old. I am around twenty Asgardian years. Very young, I know." Natasha frowned. _She doesn't look like twenty. More like fifteen to eighteen. On the other hand she's an alien. Either way, she's young. When I was her age... There was so much I already did…_

Loki turned his attention back on them. There was a definite shift in the air. In an instant Natasha was on her tiptoes. With this one around you never knew what might happen. "You're awfully quiet Black Widow," he purred. "Don't have anything to say?" She lowered her chin, giving them a glare. "No." Hel beamed at her brightly: "Oh don't worry, I've heard the worst things thrown my way. I can take it." _She's awfully cheery about the whole deal._ , Black Widow narrowed her eyes, hands hovering over her weapons. "You won't need those Darling," Hel assured her. "Firstly, it's two against one and two we're a tad bit stronger than you could ever be dreaming of becoming."

"I've heard those words before," Natasha retorted. The young woman nodded her head in understanding, then skipped behind the bar. "I wonder, if I can find the ingredients myself," she mumbled to herself. Her father turned his gaze away from his daughter long enough to see Natasha still standing in fighting stance amongst the dream-spheres with her friends trapped inside them. "Why don't you make yourself at home, hm?", he waved a hand and the spheres arranged themselves around the sofa. "This is our home now, you see," Loki went on. "Would you like anything to drink? The man of iron is very well equipped in that department." Natasha thought she heard Hel mumble something along the lines of "Not only there" under her breath but she couldn't be sure. What she was sure as hell of was the fact that these two were trying to play her. _They act as if they didn't freeze my team just minutes ago. As if there was nothing to fear from them. They will wait for me to let my guard down and then…_

Hel squealed, effectively interrupting Natasha's thoughts. "Here it is! I got it. Yay, drinks for me." Black Widow watched father and daughter closely. Only now did she register the dagger still lying on the countertop in Loki's reach. _And as she picked at her nails they were long like claws. How didn't I notice before? Did they use some kind of spell on me?_

Natasha narrowed her eyes even further. "Oh, don't look at me like that." The young woman grinned. "Looks can't kill. Believe me, I tried." Natasha almost laughed: "I'd bet." With satisfaction she noted Loki looking at her from the corner of his eyes, while simultaneously pretending to be engrossed in his drink. Oh he should look. She had tricked the trickster himself once. Of course she could do it again. The only problem was, she needed a plan. "Are you sure you really don't require any beverage?", Hel spoke up again. With a sudden jolt Natasha realised how dry her throat was. _I can't just tell them that. They'll do something in it that'll mess with my head._

"I'd like a water please," she found herself saying before she knew any better. The goddess of death nodded her head and set about to prepare the drinks. Natasha captured Loki's eyes. They sparkled mischievously. "So glad you finally decided to take our offer. Now go sit on the sofa. Hel will bring you your water." He smirked at her and Natasha felt strange sensations running through her body. Before she knew it, she sat down on the couch, crossing her legs like some proper lady and putting her hands off her weapons. _Since when do I sit like this or put my hands away from my weapons when in the presence of enemies?!_ , Black Widow frowned. Hel came over with a sunny smile and placed the glass of water in her hands. _Then again, those two didn't attack me until now, so why should they start now? To be honest they have been very nice to me. Maybe they're not as bad as they are made out to be?_

"See, my father and I aren't that bad at all, are we?" Natasha's head snapped up to look at Hel's sparkling green eyes. Something lurked in the depths of them, but she couldn't put her finger on it. For several heartbeats the assassin stared at those green pools, felt as if she was drowning in them, her muscles slowly uncoiling. "That's right," Hel purred. "Relax. There is nothing you have to fear. All your friends are happy, being cared for – now it's time to take care of you." A tiny voice in the back of her head screamed at her to do something, anything, that she was being manipulated. _How can this sweet girl manipulate me?_ , Natasha wondered. _She even brought me something to drink. She's such a nice girl._


	4. Waking

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own.

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 **Chapter 4 Waking**

Hel purred with satisfaction as the fight left Black Widow's head and body. "That's right Natasha. You have nothing to fear from us." She heard her father sit down. "I still don't know why you wanted her explicitly," he said. Hel turned her head over her shoulder. Loki sat on the stool she had formerly occupied, chin resting on his hand. His black hair fell into his forehead, his green eyes swept lazily over the rest of the Avengers. "I don't know why you even try to keep them alive at all."

"You don't mean that Dad." Hel tilted her head and smiled. "You know exactly why. Because they're on my list and I want to keep it that way. Those mortals are a rare kind of breed. One I would love to keep close. Besides," her green eyes flickered to Thor, "Uncle Thor is really only trying to make it up to you, you know."

In an instant Loki's muscles coiled, his posture changed. He stared at the sphere with his brother, Mjølnir raised to attack, blond hair flying behind him. "The perfect soldier," Loki murmured. "But no king. Not willing to bring the ultimate sacrifice of his own happiness." Hel looked between the brothers and felt the corners of her mouth raise in a soft smile. _It's rare to see Dad so vulnerable nowadays. He's always trying to be unreadable and unpredictable and hard. All he ever strove for was uncle Thor's acknowledgement._ Her smile turned wicked. _And revenge for being lied to and used and taken for granted every other turn._

"Just get done with what you came for," Loki finally sighed and disappeared. Hel crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, now it's just you and me. Listen closely," she said to no one in particular. Natasha didn't move, still looking dazed, but Hel didn't let that fool her. She was acutely aware of the assassin returning to her senses behind the façade. "I admire you, always admired you. Your strength, stealth, unbending will to live." The young woman moved in front of Steve's dream-sphere. "I've seen that scene before. Just the other way around," she whispered. "You see, Natasha, I am the goddess of death, but only that which does not take place in battle. I get the sick and old into my kingdom." Hel shook her head lightly. "It really isn't that much. Until you lot stood on my list. I got curious, since there was a remark that noted you had killed countless people, so I wanted to know just who I'd be dealing with. Imagine my surprise when I found all you broken souls with hearts of gold. The more I watched you, the more I wanted to keep you." The goddess leaned back to look at Natasha over her shoulder, arms still crossed.

With a slight twirl the young woman pranced on. "Now, imagine my surprise when one of you disappeared from my list." Her dark glare landed on Tony. "The man of iron just had to play the hero. Fortunately for him I never strayed far from my father's side since his imprisonment by the Chitauri. Even disguised myself as one of the wretched creatures. And then he died. He dared to die on me!" For a second it looked as if the fuming Hel wanted to slap the sphere in front of her. All her muscles trembling, a sword made of shadows and flames appearing in her hand. "I had to kill the walkyre, which came for him. Battled the arrogant beast to her second death! And he had the guts to not even thank me. He just stared at me and asked for my number." A ripple raced over her frame, leaving a blue-skinned warrior goddess with burning eyes in their wake. "It may not be too far fetched to guess that I threw him back into his body just the second your green giant pet screeched at him. Bloody brilliant entrance, I tell you."

"If you're done talking to yourself, we could get on with the game," a different voice said. "Urgh, I hate those speeches. Villains always have to waste their breath," someone else groaned. Hel looked around, noticing the spheres one by one breaking and the Avengers freeing themselves. An invisible smile traced her lips: _It was only a matter of time. I couldn't get all the details right after all…_

Black Widow looked around at her friends in awe, Hel using the slight distraction to retreat to the bar. "How did you free yourself?", Natasha wondered, furrowing her brows. "I thought those were your personal happy lives?" Clint gave Natasha a lopsided smile: "It ain't without the real you around." Tony frowned. "Pepper was always saying how right I was – it was horrible!" Steve rolled his eyes at that. Thor was the first to set his sights on his niece, carefully half hidden behind the bar. "I wanted to make that dream reality." Hel sneered at him: "I'm afraid you lost that chance long ago, uncle Thor." For the first time the title sounded like a curse.

The young woman tilted her head slightly, listening to something no one else heard, then morphed back into her human form and gave the Avengers a mocking salute. "It seems our time together is up. Farewell me dears. Until next time." With the speed of lightning Thor lunged to grab his niece before she could disappear – only to crash face first into the floor, leaving the tiles bent inward. "Well, looks like I have to redo the floor after all," Tony commented, shoving back his mask. Steve pinched the bridge of his nose while patting the inventors back lightly. Black Widow felt something strange at her hip. As she grabbed there she found a note tucked in her belt. "Huh, what's that?", Clint wondered as he found a similar thing pinned to one of his arrows. One by one every Avenger found a scrap of paper addressed to them in a neat handwriting. " _No need to thank me?_ ", Tony read out loud. "What's that supposed to mean? Thanks for what? Breaking free of the sphere? Letting myself get captured in it?"

" _You can thank me later,_ " Steve mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought. "Huh, strange…" Clint grinned after reading his, hugging Natasha to him with one arm, showing her the note, which simply read: " _It'll be true sometime._ " Curious about what Hel's message to her might be, Natasha unfolded the note. " _Thank you for being you. Please remember today._ " Clint raised a brow at her, but Natasha merely shrugged. Some time in the future she was sure, she'd know what exactly the strange girl meant.

Bruce entered the room, his hair mused from sleep, the impression of a pillow still on his cheek. "I had the strangest of dreams," he said. "And then I woke up and found this note. Do you know the meaning of this?" He looked directly at Tony, who raised his hands in mock-surrender. "How would I know. This has, for once, nothing to do with me." Banner looked on to Clint. "I wash my hands off this madness," he replied. "Fine, then who of you wrote ' _Keep trying_ ' with a heart behind it on this note and slipped it into my room while I was sleeping? You can be seriously proud that the other one didn't catch you." The rest of the team stared at him for a second. Then Natasha broke out in laughter. Out of all the things Hel could have said to him, of all the comments she could have given him, she chose this? To keep pursuing the dream she had shown him – apparently the only one where she didn't make mistakes in the depiction?

"Are you okay Nat?", Clint asked, worry seeping into his tone. "Yeah, just fine." She waved a hand. "Everything's just fine."


End file.
